Things are not always what they seem

The Official  word on a recent press release from the Chogye (Jogye) Order of Korean Buddhism on Korea.net was as follows:

Korean Buddhist delegation introduces religion and food in NY

A delegation from the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism paid an official visit to the United States from September 14 to 22 to promote Korean Buddhism overseas.

The Most Venerable Ja Seung, head of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism since last November, led the delegation to introduce Korean Buddhist philosophy and cuisine.

On Sep. 17, the delegation held a meeting with representatives of several different religions, including Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Catholicism, and Protestant Christianity at a vegetarian restaurant in Manhattan. At the meeting, they held an in-depth discussion on ways to increase goodwill worldwide and end religious conflicts.

The delegation held a Buddhist ceremony in New York on Sep. 19 for more than 700 Korean Buddhists and believers.

Members of the Jogye Orders pose with religious leaders in New York on Sep. 17. (Photo: Yonhap News)

Members of the delegation also held meetings with Korean Buddhist monks in Los Angeles and New York to discuss the expansion of Korean Buddhism and the establishment of overseas parish temples.

They visited Columbia University to meet Professor of Oriental Studies Robert Paul Hymes on Sep. 20. At the meeting with the Most Venerable Ja Seung, Prof. Hymes expressed his intent to help Korean Buddhism strengthen its presence in the academic arena, Yonhap News reported on Sep. 19. Hymes emphasized that the university will have an honorary professor position for Korean Buddhism from 2011.

The same day, the delegation met Irina Georgieva Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, gave $US 400,000 to help the refugees of the earthquake in Haiti, and signed an MOU with UNESCO for an education support project for children in less developed countries.

The delegation also held a special event to promote Korean temple food in SOHO, New York, later that day. The unique taste of Korean temple cuisine captured the attention of more than 300 guests, including representatives from the culture and food industries, along with politicians like US Representative Charles Rangel.

The Jogye Order delegation had more than 30 members, including abbots of major Korean temples.

Currently, 130 Korean Buddhist monks engage in religious activities overseas, and there are  144 Korean Buddhist temples worldwide, nearly 80 of which are in the United States.

By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer

Now, outside the press release hype, here is some reality. The Kwan Um School of Zen is the largest Zen Organization in the West; although they are reorganizing as of this post they will most likely remain so for the foreseeable future. There is some confusion about the connection with Kwan Um and the Korean Jogye order that I'd like to address. Many, (almost all) of the monks in the Kwan Um School of Zen are not recognized as monks in the Jogye Order. Now recently, many of the monks have been crossing over and receiving tonsure in the Jogye Order directly; however, the relationship between the Jogye Order and the Kwan Um School of Zen has its political problems.

I am not implying that Kwan Um Monks or Students are somehow less than Korean Monks or practitioners, yet I can tell you from experience that when visiting Korea or China most of the lay teachers and students were not allowed to wear their robes in the presence of Jogye Monks. The Kwan Um monks were tolerated only because they had shaved heads. 

I believe that there is a faction within the Kwan Um School that is trying to bridge that gap and narrow the differences that are perceived by the Jogye Order and it may or may not be spanned over time. The point is that there is a major distinction in the minds of the Koreans about what constitutes a monk and there is much fervor and nationalism involved here.

There is an old movement in the West that has found a new direction and is trying to establish an authentic lineage of Korean Buddhism here in the West and it is headed by a long time Jogye Monk who has worked for over 25 years in trying to establish an authentic Korean Lineage in the West. This renowned figure, who will for the purposes of this post remain nameless, commented on this recent conference, and due to issues that I would like to remain out of I will quote anonymously. Just be aware that there is a new movement in the West which is establishing an authentic and accepted lineage of Korean Zen in the West, and their leader recently stated the following about this meeting that took place.

"I attended the Chogye Order's conference, which was advertised as "Globalization of Korean Buddhism"...What I got from the conference was that the Chogye order is more interested in focusing on Korean immigrants rather than connecting with Westerners. There was no interest by Chogye Officials during the conference in expanding outreach education in Western Languages to Westerners who might be willing to study Korean Buddhism; furthermore, there was an overwhelming lack of support for Western locations that would allow native Westerners to become a Korean Zen monk in their own country. They do not get to the point...I was very disappointed."